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Written by Guy Ramsey - UK Athletics Cat Scratches Blog
Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart's vision of reinventing Commonwealth Stadium has never been closer to becoming reality.
On Thursday, Gov. Steve Beshear and legislative leaders in Frankfort, Ky., announced their strong support for University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto's plan to self-finance a "dramatic $275 million transformation of the UK campus." UK Athletics and its football program figure prominently into those plans, as a $110-million renovation of Commonwealth Stadium and the Nutter Training Facility is in the works.
"This is critical," Capilouto said in a video message. "The success of our football program is how athletics remains one of the handful of financially self-sufficient programs in the country. It's how athletics funds millions of dollars in academic scholarships and other University needs each year."
The project will provide for a reinvention of the game-day atmosphere at Commonwealth and will be paid for entirely by the athletics department. Funding the improvement will be made possible by the 16-20 suites and approximately 2,000 club seats to be added. Capilouto reported that there is already a waiting list for this new premium seating.
